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    Jivey shares ideas and lessons to make literacy accessible for all.

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    3-5, Mentor Texts

    Teaching Text Structure With Picture Books

    August 18, 2022

    Text structure is the way authors organize expository information for a specific purpose. Aside from the fact that it’s a required reading standard, it’s important to teach students to identify text structures in order to improve comprehension of a text.

    text structure with picture books

    Using quality texts as explicit models and teaching about the organization and keywords used with each type of structure helps develop student comprehension.

    You know I love using picture books as mentor texts, and yes, picture books work well for this skill, too!

    Teach Text Structures With Picture Books

    Teaching students to identify text structure can be tricky simply because expository text is often more challenging to read (since it usually consists of content that is unfamiliar to the student).

    Using nonfiction picture books for your mini-lessons to introduce (or re-teach/review) text structure is the perfect way to help students access the content of the text.

    There are five overall text structures:

    • chronology (sequence)
    • comparison
    • cause/effect
    • problem/solution
    • description

    Keep in mind, in your mini-lessons, it’s important to discuss with students that when determining the text structure, it should describe the text as a whole, not just parts of it.

    One way to help students identify the text structure is to use a guide like this one:

    text structure freebie

    CLICK TO ACCESS FREEBIE!

    If students cannot answer the question about the WHOLE text, it helps them see that text structure would not apply to the text. It also helps set them up for success with the comprehension of the text by being able to answer the question.

    You probably noticed that “description” isn’t listed on the poster- that overall text structure is usually one they don’t have any issue identifying or comprehending, so I focused on the four trickier structures. 

    Text Structure In Balloons Over Broadway

    Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet is such a great nonfiction mentor text to teach about the man behind the magic of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

    This is a great picture book to use when starting text structure lessons because the overall text structure is chronology (which tends to be much easier for students to identify).

    text structure chronology balloons over broadway

    Using the guiding questions, students should easily identify the chronology text structure. Be sure to remind students how the structure should describe the text as a whole, not just parts of it.

    For example, in Balloons Over Broadway, even though Tony faced some problems in the book and was able to solve the problems, the book as a whole wasn’t about how to solve problems that occur during parades.

    And although the author reveals the reason that we have a Macy’s Parade with large balloons, cause and effect was not the overall structure of the entire book.

    Students should recognize that the overall structure of Balloons Over Broadway is chronology because it is the story of Tony Sarg growing up to make marionettes, then puppets, then using his expertise to create the balloons for the Macy’s Parade.

    Continued Practice With Text Structure

    Of course, spending time analyzing the other text structures is essential.

    Since informational texts are typically more difficult simply because the students aren’t as familiar with the content, providing texts that access some prior knowledge tackles that hurdle.

    In the weeklong mentor text unit I created for the book Balloons Over Broadway, students will read short passages providing even more information about the Macy’s parade. I wrote each passage with a specific (and obvious) text structure to help students analyze keywords and overall organization.

    Reading Like Writers, Writing Like Readers

    Viewing text structure as a craft can also improve students’ informational writing abilities.

    A fun way to get students reading like writers and writing like readers is to engage in conversation over what is the same and different in a couple of images related to what you’re learning. Since the purpose of compare/contrast structure is to share similarities and differences of two things, this discussion is important because it will help spark the ideas they may want to write about for their assignment.

    Below, you’ll see an example of a writing assignment in the Balloons Over Broadway Mentor Text Unit.

    text structure compare and contrast writing balloons over broadway

    Pointing out some key elements they want to include when they compare, like the year, or the name of the balloon, in order to distinguish between them. For example, students shouldn’t say, “one has this, but one has that.” They need to clarify by saying, “The balloon from 1928 was filled with air and helium, but the balloon from 2008 was filled with just helium.”)

    Text Structure In The Crayon Man

    Another fabulous picture book to read when teaching text structure is The Crayon Man: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons by Natascha Biebow. It is not only a fantastic example of a narrative biography, but contains the elusive problem/solution text structure! (This one is always hard to find good examples of in picture books.)

    Just as I suggested with Balloons Over Broadway, after reading the mentor text, read each explanation of the text structures from the poster. Remind students how the structure should describe the text as a whole, not just parts of it. Help students recognize that the structure is problem and solution.

    text structure problem and solution balloons over broadway

    Point out how even though chalk, pencils, and crayons were compared in the book, the overall structure of the text is not compare and contrast… and although a few steps of making the colored crayons were shared, the text overall was not written with references to time, so it wouldn’t be a sequence structure either.

    Note: Problem & solution and cause & effect can often be similar in structure – and can be tricky to identify! In fact, one might argue that The Crayon Man is cause & effect because of the chain of events that led to the crayons’ creation. However, there are several problems presented in the book that Edwin works to solve – and does – so this is a great example of the problem and solution text structure!

    Reading Like Writers, Writing Like Readers

    The Crayon Man is actually a “two for one” for your text structure lessons!

    In the back of the book, the author includes an explanation with ordered photos to show how crayons are made. Students should easily identify the text structure: sequence/chronology.

    The caption of each image tells how crayons are made. Because they are written as captions for numbered/sequential images, and not in paragraph form, transitions are not used or needed.

    text structure sequence writing crayon man

    Perform a shared writing exercise with students: paraphrase the captions and add transitions to write one paragraph that explains how crayons are made. This help students practice varying the start of their sentences.

    Depending on your class’s ability to paraphrase, etc, you might even write out the paragraph example ahead of time with blanks for transitions to explicitly practice using transition words in writing.

     

    Looking for more information about teaching with picture books?

    Check out the site library all about maximizing your time using mentor texts!

     

    SHOP THIS POST:

    by Jessica Ivey 
    3-5, Mentor Texts

    Planning a Language Arts Schedule (How To Fit It All In!)

    October 21, 2021

    A question I’m commonly asked by upper elementary teachers in regards to using mentor texts is just how to plan a schedule that can fit it all in… for some teachers, outside forces make it very difficult.

    plan your language arts schedule

    Strict mandates from your administration or bell schedules obviously cannot be helped. (If you have 45 minutes for ALL of your ELA standards –yes, there are teachers who have written to me asking for ideas in this type of time block –this post will probably not be for you…) I will do my best to offer some suggestions for even the most time-constrained schedules.

    However, this post will also NOT be one of those dream scenarios that reading and writing gurus like to share in their books where you have 3.5 or 4 hours every day to devote to reading, writing, and grammar. (Where are these schools?!)

    Using Mentor Texts

    First thing’s first: the schedule suggestions I’m sharing with you incorporate the use of mentor texts. A mentor text is not simply a read-aloud. Although mentor texts should be read for enjoyment FIRST, that is not its only purpose. It is not an entire novel either. You can absolutely model skills from a chapter book, but a mentor text should be shorter in length so that it can be referred to throughout a week (or two or three!) for different skills. Think picture books, poems, songs, articles, chapters from a novel, etc…

    mentor texts

    Using a mentor text, or sometimes called “anchor text,” allows you to teach several skills, and gives students the opportunity to dive deep into comprehension over a longer period of time, as well as analyze it for craft.

    Read more about why using mentor texts is the best way to maximize your teaching time.

    In an ideal (but not dream) world, I’d hope for 2 or 2.5 hours to devote to ELA. Check out the “blueprint,” then keep reading for details on what I’d include!

    two and a half hour ELA schedule

    Still too dreamy for you? Here is what a 1.5-hour schedule might look like.

    one and a half hour ELA schedule

    Reading on the Schedule

    I like to start an ELA block with the subject of reading.  Please don’t interpret this as “only teaching reading comprehension” during that time slot on the schedule though… I am a huge believer in integration. This is why I think an ELA block should be just that: A BLOCK. Not “reading time” and “writing time” but “studying the art of language time” – however, I know that many teachers must specify the subject for their plans, so I am breaking it down the best that I can for you here.

    content integration with mentor texts

    On that note, I also must mention the importance of content integration. It’s the best way to not only maximize your teaching time, but also to help students gain a better understanding of a science or social studies topic. When it came to mandated schedules in my classroom, I always did okay with the timing for ELA, but usually, Science and Social Studies were the areas that got the shaft (for a few years, I had only 30 minutes for BOTH… combined!) so I became quite the “integration expert” if you will. It was often the only way I could still help students learn about the history I had to teach, but then I also was able to teach reading standards, language skills, and writing craft!

    Read more about content integration ideas here.

    Comprehension First…

    In my experience, I have found it’s essential for students to work with comprehending a text first before analyzing it for writing purposes. One way to help students understand a text, especially on a first-read, is to use Interactive Read-Alouds, or IRA. There are TONS of resources out there for this method, or you can take my one-hour course on it here!

    interactive read aloud vocabulary lesson

    Teaching vocabulary is one of the top skills to do with an Interactive Read-Aloud. It is the perfect way to explore words using context clues. I am a huge proponent of “throwing out the vocabulary list” and actually helping students understand how to use vocabulary in their speaking and writing, not just memorizing a definition that they can pick out from multiple choice at the end of the week.

    You can read more about throwing out the list here.

    gradual release with mentor text

    In my classroom, I found IRA was NOT an exercise that should be done every day with every skill or mini-lesson, so I also incorporated gradual release (“I Do, We Do, You Do”) when introducing new skills or reviewing tricky skills. This is especially helpful when using a mentor text that students don’t all have a copy of in their hands.

    Read more about using mentor texts with the gradual release model for mini-lessons here.

    Independent Practice

    Remember, the “You Do” part of gradual release means students need time for independent application. You might offer students another short passage to demonstrate their understanding of a skill, or you might give students a different section of the mentor text to use than the one you worked with for the “I Do, We Do” portion. (You could project a page or two on the wall/board for them to see, or photo-copy, or scan into a sharing app.)

    using shorter texts for gradual release

    During independent practice, I would aim to pull at least one small group to work on current skills, remediate past skills, or push to enrich skills. If you are hoping to run your ELA block in a workshop style, you might want to check out Launching Reading Workshop Tips and Printables in my shop!

    Using More Than Mentor Texts

    If you provide students with a “cold read” (something new to read while assessing their understanding) during their independent practice, I would encourage you to give them something of their reading ability. I know this can be controversial because students might “get a high mark” on something they read below grade level so does that really mean they are passing the grade? I think the question you always have to ask yourself is: “Am I assessing if they can read the text, or am I assessing if they can apply the standard that I just taught them?”

    You can read more here about the importance of differentiating in reading when assessing.

     

    Paired Texts

    I really love pairing a picture book or a chapter book with an article or poem that deals with the same content (to go deeper on a topic) or theme (to allow students to compare, for example).

    pair mentor text with article

    This doesn’t always have to be provided as a cold read though. You also might consider assessing students’ comprehension after doing a close read of a more rigorous text TOGETHER. This way, they have tackled tricky words, made notes about (and overcome with your help) confusions or misunderstandings, and can work to analyze or compare within texts rather than go in with no prior knowledge. (And remember, this is perfect for content integration, too!)

    Read more about helping students learn to annotate articles during close reading in this post…

    Or check out how to close read a poem here!

    paired texts to compare

    Of course, determining the meaning of a pair of passages or articles, and integrating information from the two, are skills that students are required to learn to do. You might take several days to analyze and dissect a pair of articles together by close reading and annotating, then allow students to respond to the texts through writing.

    You can read more about using paired texts to teach AND assess here.

    And on that note, let’s move into some writing, shall we?

    Grammar on the Schedule

    As I’ve said over and over already, integration is important for writing, too. Integrating grammar skills into writing is the best way to develop a student’s language and communication. (That’s right: something else to throw away… no more grammar workbooks!)

    Read more about how to stop teaching grammar in isolation here.

    mentor sentence example

    Mentor Sentences

    Mentor sentences tackle integrating your grammar skills in the most fantastic way. Students will see the RIGHT way to write, rather than the wrong like so many programs tend to do, and it only takes a few minutes each day to work through. Students will notice the good things about a sentence from a mentor text you are already using for another lesson. It’s the perfect way to begin your “writing time.” It helps get students’ brains into a mode where they are analyzing, revising, or even imitating a written piece of work.

    Read all about how to begin the mentor sentence routine in your classroom here.

    Writing on the Schedule

    I just mentioned the mentor sentence coming from a mentor text you are already using… remember, you absolutely should be using a mentor text for as many standards as possible to truly maximize your teaching time. That means the same book you used for a reading lesson can also be used for a mentor sentence AND a writing lesson! No matter what genre you want students to write, you can find style, language, and organization patterns in mentor texts to use as models for students. Oftentimes, your mentor sentence lesson can even become your writing lesson for that day!

    Check out how to make mentor sentences stick in writing in this post.

    shared writing process

    I don’t believe shared writing should only happen with the younger grades. It is just as beneficial to walk through the steps of planning, drafting, and revising writing for upper elementary students. Model your thinking and allow students to make suggestions. This also helps get those creative juices flowing for their independent practice.

    response to literature

    Finally, don’t feel you must always have students writing a long “go through all the phases of the writing process” writing piece. Responding to literature, constructed responses to articles or paired texts, or even just quick writes to demonstrate knowledge on some content are just as important. Also, don’t forget to look at drafts of old writing pieces. Look for ways to improve them with newly learned skills. It’s so easy to “file them away” once they’re done, isn’t it? But think of all the opportunities to show growth!

    I hope this was helpful for you!

    Here are some more helpful links to check out when planning your ELA lessons:

    Free Mentor Text Database

    The Importance of Diverse Mentor Texts

    by Jessica Ivey 
    3-5, Mentor Texts

    Why I Love Using Mentor Texts All Year (And You Should, Too!)

    July 29, 2021

    Teachers know that using literature is the perfect way to introduce a lesson, but starting EVERY lesson with a new book would make it impossible to teach all of the required standards! That’s why it’s important to use mentor texts: a short text like a picture book (fiction or nonfiction), a chapter from a novel, an article, a song, or a poem, which can be used to teach several skills.

    Mentor Texts

    Using mentor texts is a best-practice strategy that maximizes your teaching time. You’ll have more time to teach because once you’ve read the book one time, you only need to re-read or refer back to parts of it for your different mini-lessons.

    And best of all, a well-chosen mentor text will be enjoyable to read, and one you will want to return to over and over!

    Choosing Mentor Texts

    When choosing mentor texts, you’ll want to find models that inspire students to practice a few skills.

    It’s typically easy to identify reading standards that can be addressed with a book, but make sure to step back and look at the book with a writing eye, too.

    A good mentor text will always have writing and language techniques that students can imitate. (This is another reason why using picture books is SO important, even in upper grades!)

    More Bang For Your Buck

    Of course, it’s a bonus when you can tie in another content area, too!

    It’s so great when you find a book that also incorporates some science, social studies, math, or even social-emotional skills!

    A new favorite of mine does just that! You do not want to miss the book, Say Something! by Peter H. Reynolds. (This link is an Amazon affiliate link- if you use it to purchase the book, I earn a few pennies which I put toward book giveaways for teachers, but it doesn’t cost you anything extra!)

    Say Something by Peter Reynolds

    In this empowering picture book, students will discover the many ways that a single voice can make a difference with our actions, our words, and our voices.

    This book can be used for SO many skills across all content areas!

    Peter Reynolds writes this book almost entirely in conditional statements (these are sentences with dependent clauses beginning with “If,” followed by an independent clause with advice or directions). This is the PERFECT way to help students practice writing conditionals, as it’s been modeled over and over for them in this book.

    Say Something Mentor Sentence Conditional

    There is also a VERY clear message in this book. Students can identify key details in the text to determine the message.

    Say Something Reading Details

    (Want this lesson for free? Receive it directly in your inbox by clicking here!)

    And of course, what better way to reflect the message than to show students that even kids can make a difference when they say something? Allow students time to learn about famous young people like Malala Yousafzai, Greta Thunberg, or Mari Copeny, just to name a few. I like to provide an article that can be used for more reading comprehension practice, like the one below about Mari Copeny and the Michigan Water Crisis, but you can also let them practice their research skills to learn about them, too.

    There is so much more that can be done with this book and topic!! I have an entire mentor text unit that provides a week of explicit lessons and activities for reading, writing, and grammar:

    Say Something Mentor Text Unit by Ideas by Jivey

    This unit is a part of my Mentor Text Club: Second Edition, where teachers get a weeklong mentor text unit once a month which THEY get to have input, and even WIN the mentor text for their classroom! This club is NOT a membership- it is a one-time purchase and then all 12 weeklong units are yours to use year after year.

    Want even more ideas for mentor text integration?

    I have a FREE database where I have listed all of the mentor texts I’ve used in my resources, as well as all the skills covered with those books. Check it out!

    by Jessica Ivey 
    Mastering Mentor Sentences, Mentor Texts

    Teaching Mentor Sentences in the Digital Classroom

    March 26, 2020

    Don't skip mentor sentences during home learning days! Teaching mentor sentences digitally is still possible. Check out these tips to be successful.

    As teaching has shifted to a digital classroom setting, so has the WAY teachers deliver instruction. Mentor sentence lessons are something I have always been a strong believer that doesn’t fit the 1:1 mold:

    • The class discussions drive the lessons.
    • They learn from each other through those discussions.
    • Misconceptions should be corrected right away and discussed so they aren’t “practicing the wrong way.”
    • Their notebook becomes a resource that they can easily flip through without “logging on” to look at examples.
    • And let’s be honest, it seems silly to bust out the computer for one 10 minute activity… do we really want to replace writing ONE SENTENCE A DAY with a computer?

    HOWEVER…

    Don't skip mentor sentences during home learning days! Teaching mentor sentences digitally is still possible. Check out these tips to be successful. Here we are during a global pandemic, forced to teach in isolation without a group of students sitting at our feet, notebooks in their laps, hands-up and excited to share what they see about this week’s sentence. (Did you just cry a little at that image? I know teachers are MISSING their kids and their routine. My heart goes out to you all!)

    Children CRAVE routine and maintaining “normalcy.” Although there is nothing normal about attending school from home for the majority of kids, many teachers have reached out to share that their students (and they, the teachers) MISS doing mentor sentences, and asked how can they keep up with the routine in a digital classroom model.

    Remember, mentor sentences are used to teach grammar and writing style OUT OF ISOLATION. It’s not just a worksheet to hand out. It shouldn’t be busywork. It requires feedback and student interaction/discussion. So, these are things to keep in mind as teaching moves to the digital classroom, too.

    Read-Aloud of the Mentor Text

    Students should still hear, read, or see the mentor text that contains the mentor sentence. Remember, context is important for understanding the sentence! Record yourself reading the book, or if you don’t have a copy of it at home, find a read-aloud of it on the web!

    Epic! is also offering free subscriptions for educators, and there are other sites you might have access to through your school which offers books in an online library.

    Digital Mentor Sentences

    In the MOST ideal digital classroom setting, here’s what I would suggest:

    Don't skip mentor sentences during home learning days! Teaching mentor sentences digitally is still possible. Check out these tips to be successful. Hop on a video conferencing platform (like Zoom, Google Hangout, or Microsoft Teams) with your students to hold your lesson just as you would if you were in the classroom. Allow students to type what they would contribute to a discussion in the chat, OR have them raise their hand and call on them one at a time to prevent everyone talking over each other in the meeting room.

    Before the video meeting, give them time to work to notice on their own, just as you would in the classroom. This might mean you are “off” one day in your lessons (so you go live to discuss Day One on Day Two, for example, then they complete Day Two’s work which you go live to discuss on Day Three. That way, everyone has enough time to complete their thinking on their own).

    Day ONE and Day TWO:

    Send them the sentence ahead of time to work in a notebook or in a Google document so they come to the discussion prepared, just as they would if you were meeting in person.

    Day THREE and Day FOUR:

    Hold your video meeting to show your revised sentence and imitated sentence examples, and allow students to share what they notice that you did in your models. Then, students should work on their own to revise and imitate the sentence.

    I made a free template you can use through Google Classroom or Google Drive for students to record their work daily so that you can see their progress- CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD.

    Don't skip mentor sentences during home learning days! Teaching mentor sentences digitally is still possible. Check out these tips to be successful.

    REMEMBER, you don’t want students to only fill in this Google document and never have a way to share out or receive fairly immediate feedback from you, or then it’s just another worksheet and doesn’t follow the best practices of Mentor Sentences. 

    Day FIVE: 

    Send the Editing Assessment digitally for students complete.

    Don't skip mentor sentences during home learning days! Teaching mentor sentences digitally is still possible. Check out these tips to be successful.

    If you own any (or all) mentor sentence units within Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3, or Just the Basics, you can find the DIGITAL VERSIONS of the Editing Assessments in the front of each unit. You may need to redownload from your purchases if you haven’t since before the Fall of 2019.

    Alternatives to Live Mentor Sentence Lessons

    Of course, I know not everyone has access to video platforms. Not everyone will have students that can join at the same time either, even if you do have video accessibility.  Here are some other ideas:

    The BARE minimum that potentially could still have an effect on learning, maintain some bit of routine, and keep the idea of best practices for the lesson would be to send the sentence weekly work activity page through Google Classroom or Google Drive. Then as students record their work daily, go in and leave notes as soon as possible, basically having a virtual conversation – CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE TEMPLATE.

    Don't skip mentor sentences during home learning days! Teaching mentor sentences digitally is still possible. Check out these tips to be successful.

    A step up from this would be taking what students share in that Google document and compiling their answers into a shared document for all students to see. I would be hesitant to allow them all to type at once since A) students could get frustrated as students type over their responses, and B) some students would not have anything to contribute if they can’t get on right away, as all of their answers would most likely be “written” already.

    Don't skip mentor sentences during home learning days! Teaching mentor sentences digitally is still possible. Check out these tips to be successful.

    You’d also still want to share your example of a revision and imitation sentence on day three and day four so students have a model to work from, just as they do in the classroom.

    Photographs are Effective!

    Can’t video anything but still want to show more than just a typed document? Write out the work just like you would on the board in the classroom and snap a picture! This could even be sent as a text message or email to parents if students don’t have access to a computer.

    Use an app like Class Dojo or Remind to prevent sharing your cell phone number and be able to mass “text” at once.

    Photos are also great if you are using an app with students like SeeSaw!

    Next Level Digital Mentor Sentences Without Live Video

    You don’t have to go live with students to create video mentor sentence lessons that they can watch. You can do something as simple as setting up your phone in selfie mode or using your webcam and talking through each day, or even screen-record your desktop (if you don’t want your students to see you’ve been in your pajamas! Ha!) so they can still hear your voice as you work through a lesson. This would still require you to make a video each day, but it shouldn’t take you much time to do it.

    Don't skip mentor sentences during home learning days! Teaching mentor sentences digitally is still possible. Check out these tips to be successful.

    Use a FREE screen recorder like Screen-Cast-O-Matic

    Before recording your video, just as you would in the classroom, give them time to work to notice on their own. This might mean you are “off” one day in your lessons (so Day One video is recorded on Day Two and shared).

    Day ONE and Day TWO:

    Send them the sentence ahead of time to work in a notebook or in a Google document. “Collect” all of their answers to make your video- write or type what they shared in their Google document, giving credit to those who listed that answer (they love to hear their names on video). Talk through why each answer was correct so they understand.

    Day THREE and Day FOUR:

    Record yourself to show your revised sentence and imitated sentence examples, and remind them of what you expect them to do when they write their own. Allow students time to write their sentences, and in your next days’ videos, share some of their examples. This helps them still feel like a part of their class community.

    I made a free template you can use through Google Classroom or Google Drive for students to record their work daily so that you can see their progress- CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD.

    Don't skip mentor sentences during home learning days! Teaching mentor sentences digitally is still possible. Check out these tips to be successful.

    REMEMBER, you don’t want students to only fill in this Google document and never have a way to share out or receive fairly immediate feedback from you, or then it’s just another worksheet and doesn’t follow the best practices of Mentor Sentences. 

    Day FIVE: 

    Send the Editing Assessment digitally for students complete.

    Don't skip mentor sentences during home learning days! Teaching mentor sentences digitally is still possible. Check out these tips to be successful.

    If you own any (or all) mentor sentence units within Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3, or Just the Basics, you can find the DIGITAL VERSIONS of the Editing Assessments in the front of each unit. You may need to redownload from your purchases if you haven’t since before the Fall of 2019.

    Bonus Collaborative Work Idea

    I shared above that I wouldn’t advise using one Google document where everyone types at once, but here is a great alternative!

    Padlet is free to use, and with the “require approval” setting under Content Filters, students will be able to submit answers and then see them all from their classmates once you moderate them! You create a padlet and share the link with them, then they go in and add their comment! Super easy and cool to see everyone’s responses at the end.

    Don't skip mentor sentences during home learning days! Teaching mentor sentences digitally is still possible. Check out these tips to be successful.

    If you want to stick to Google Apps, you could also create a Google Form and have students submit their answers, then share the Google Sheet of answers with them at a later time.

    Mentor Sentence and Mentor Text Digital Resources

    Check out these mentor sentence and mentor text resources which have digital capabilities for your virtual classroom!

    Volume 1 Mentor Sentences

    Volume 1 Better Than Basal

    Volume 1 Vivid Vocabulary

    Volume 2 Mentor Sentences

    Volume 2 Better Than Basal

    Nonfiction Better Than Basal

    Volume 2 Vivid Vocabulary

    Volume 3 Mentor Sentences

    Volume 3 Better Than Basal

    Volume 3 Vivid Vocabulary

     

    PIN FOR LATER:

    Don't skip mentor sentences during home learning days! Teaching mentor sentences digitally is still possible. Check out these tips to be successful.

    by Jessica Ivey 
    Mentor Texts, Paired Texts

    Virtual Learning in the ELA Classroom

    March 12, 2020

    Check out the collection of free and paid reading and writing resources to prevent busy-work when virtual learning is required in your classroom. Years ago, when schools were closed for snow, flooding, or mass illnesses, the school year was extended to make sure students got in all of their learning days. Virtual learning was like something from The Jetsons! Now, districts can choose to have digital learning days to help make up for that missed learning.

    In this post, I want to make sure your virtual learning ELA lessons aren’t just busy-work, but are actually full of engaging, rigorous lessons that your students will enjoy. I will be sharing some free ideas and suggestions of online platforms that will make this work, as well as how some of my digital learning resources can tie in to help make your job easier.

    Google Classroom

    With a platform like Google Classroom (or an alternative like Edmodo), you can still have collaborative “discussions” through a shared document where students can type responses directly and you can respond, correct misconceptions, and encourage deeper thinking.

    You can even have actual conversations if students are able to access Google Hangouts or a platform like Zoom!

    You can also assign reading with self-grading questions so students get immediate feedback to understand their mistakes (of course, you can also leave it as-is so they don’t immediately see that their answer was right or wrong if you want to take it for an actual grade).

    You can download this paired text resource for grades 4-6 about Epidemics and Germs FOR FREE here!

    I also have a free set for grades 2-3 about having pets- download it here!

    I have several sets of paired texts that are digital classroom-ready if this is something you know your students need to practice. They are all written around fun and interesting topics like deep-sea mysteries and the Titanic, important people like abolitionists, historical events like the American Revolution and Westward Expansion, and more!

    Buy sets for Grades 4-6 here

    Buy Grades 2-3 units here

    Other Online Platforms

    These digital learning platforms are offering free ways to access now as Coronavirus shuts schools down worldwide:

    • Book Creator is currently offering free accounts for schools to keep students and teachers connected!
    • You can even get Brainpop access for your students if you don’t already have it with your school.
    • Kahoot is doing the same thing to support distance learning.

    These platforms are always free and offer fun, engaging ways to keep learning the standards:

    • A site called ABCya.com has games that can be found by standard.
    • A great platform for virtual learning with lessons AND interactive tools for students is Nearpod.
    • One of my favorite online news article sites is DOGO News. This is a great way to assign some current event articles for discussion, writing activities, or comprehension lessons.
    • I also love this interactive site FULL of informational articles called Wonderopolis!
    • Read Write Think has interactive learning tools for students that could help cement a strategy.
    • Another great reading assessment platform is Common Lit.

    Online Read-Alouds

    Check out the collection of free and paid reading and writing resources to prevent busy-work when virtual learning is required in your classroom. A key part of ELA is the mentor text you’ll be using for your lessons. This shouldn’t be left out just because students aren’t sitting right in front of you!

    As I mentioned above, having a Google Hangout or jumping on Zoom is a great way to be “face-to-face” with students… but maybe you or your students can’t be available at the same time. You could always pre-record yourself reading the book using even just your cell phone- you don’t even have to be in the shot if you’re hanging in your PJs… show each page of the book instead! Either way, this would be perfect to also show your think-aloud process of a strategy while doing your reading.

    If it isn’t an option for you to do the read-aloud yourself- maybe you don’t have access to the book, or you aren’t able to do the recording- there are tons of books online already recorded as read-alouds! Just do a simple search for the book you want to use!

    Storyline Online is one of my favorite resources for great read-alouds performed by actors.

    Also check out Epic! which is free for educators!


    Whether you need mentor text activities for digital learning days or 1:1 lessons in the classroom, I have many!

    I am offering a free week of ELA activities to help alleviate some stress of planning for digital learning. These are perfect for grades 3-5.

    Check out all of my reading organizers and activities, and writing prompts too, just like the ones in the free download in my digital Better than Basal resources.

    I also made my Vivid Vocabulary Companions in digital format, too like the ones in the free resource!

    I hope these ideas, suggestions, and resources are useful to you as you may be navigating virtual learning for the first time. Best wishes in your digital lesson endeavors!

    by Jessica Ivey 
    Mentor Texts

    How to Model Descriptive Writing With a Mentor Text

    October 24, 2019

    Descriptive writing, or what many teachers like to call “show, don’t tell writing,” is a skill that needs to be practiced and modeled A LOT for students to truly master it. Check out one of my favorite lessons for modeling writing with a mentor text to help students be as descriptive as possible! This lesson is one of 18 in a blog hop, where we are sharing some great ideas and free downloads with you… plus giveaways, too!

    Descriptive writing is a tricky skill for students to master, but with mentor text modeling and practice, they can! Check out this free lesson download for the mentor text, I Need My Monster to help with "show, don't tell" writing. #mentortext #2ndgrade #3rdgrade #4thgrade #5thgrade

    Model Descriptive Writing With a Mentor Text

    Sharing a mentor text full of descriptive language is going to help students understand how to truly “show” and not “just tell” when writing. Writers want readers to visualize. Yes, picture books provide illustrations, but most text requires our imagination!

    This post contains Amazon affiliate links. It does not cost you anything extra to use these links, and Amazon pays me a few cents for your purchase which I put toward my mentor text giveaways.

    One of my favorite books that models descriptive writing is I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll. It’s about a little boy who absolutely cannot sleep without his monster under his bed. When his monster decides to take a vacation, he interviews substitutes that, of course, don’t compare to HIS monster. It’s such a cute book to read around Halloween time, but you can read it ANY time of the year. It’s definitely not “Halloween-themed.” Not only is it an absolutely adorable book, it’s the perfect mentor text for SO MANY lessons, including show, don’t tell writing. If you don’t own the book, you can also check it out on Storyline Online, read aloud by Rita Moreno!

    As you read the book to your students, stop and analyze the descriptive writing that the author uses. From his monster’s ragged breathing and uncut claws to his spooky green ooze, you will be able to discuss the descriptive language that helps the reader visualize on every page!

    Descriptive writing is a tricky skill for students to master, but with mentor text modeling and practice, they can! Check out this free lesson download for the mentor text, I Need My Monster to help with "show, don't tell" writing. #mentortext #2ndgrade #3rdgrade #4thgrade #5thgrade

    You could make a list on an anchor chart of all of the descriptions, or have students keep notes of what they hear. Having these examples is going to help them with their writing activity later. Having models handy doesn’t mean they’ll copy, it means they will have some good examples to help with their own thinking! 

    Modeling Writing In a Mini-Lesson

    You can get a free copy of the lesson I am going to describe in this post by entering your information below. It will be sent straight to your inbox!

     

    Descriptive writing is a tricky skill for students to master, but with mentor text modeling and practice, they can! Check out this free lesson download for the mentor text, I Need My Monster to help with "show, don't tell" writing. #mentortext #2ndgrade #3rdgrade #4thgrade #5thgrade

    Use the paragraph provided in the free download, or write your own descriptive paragraph to read to students about a monster. If you are writing your own, I suggest drawing a monster (don’t show it to them yet though!) and then writing your paragraph. Make sure to describe your monster MOSTLY well if you write your own, while also leaving out some very small details. (You’ll see why in the lesson.)

    Read the paragraph about your monster a few times to the students, and have them draw what they hear and what they visualize based on your description.

    Once students have had a few minutes to get their sketch as accurate as they can based on what you read to them, show them YOUR monster. Have a discussion about what is different in their picture than yours, but especially what is the same. Ask questions like, “What descriptions did I provide that helped you accurately draw your monster?” and “What could I have added to my writing to be more descriptive and specific so that your drawing would have looked more like mine?” (This is why you needed to leave out some very small details that would affect them being exactly the same.)

    Below is a student’s drawing of my monster you see pictured for this lesson from my class a few years ago- pretty good, right? Notice the teeth are different- even though I was detailed, I didn’t specify that my teeth were “flat” so she drew them as sharp. I also didn’t mention that my monster’s tail was also green and warty.

    Descriptive writing is a tricky skill for students to master, but with mentor text modeling and practice, they can! Check out this free lesson download for the mentor text, I Need My Monster to help with "show, don't tell" writing. #mentortext #2ndgrade #3rdgrade #4thgrade #5thgrade

    Put It Into Practice

    **This lesson can be done over the course of two or three days if needed for time constraints!**

    Give students the opportunity to do exactly what you just modeled! Provide students paper to draw their own monster. If you have “privacy folders” or some other form of hiding work, use them! Students are going to write about their monsters and then read their paragraphs to a partner. Just as your students drew YOUR monster blindly, so will their partner, so you won’t want the students to see each other’s monsters.

    Once students have drawn their monsters, direct students to label the parts of their monster that they believe to be important to include in their descriptive writing. Remind them that they will be reading their paragraph aloud to a partner for their partner to draw, so it should include as many specific details as possible.

    Allow time for students to write a paragraph about their monsters using their labeled drawings. As you saw in my example, I wrote in first-person as if I was the monster because this is a great way to get students away from every sentence starting: “My monster has…” When I did this lesson with my students, I even left my paragraph projected up on the screen to give them ideas for their writing (because modeling is key!) – after all, it isn’t like they could copy mine since their monster was completely different.

    Descriptive writing is a tricky skill for students to master, but with mentor text modeling and practice, they can! Check out this free lesson download for the mentor text, I Need My Monster to help with "show, don't tell" writing. #mentortext #2ndgrade #3rdgrade #4thgrade #5thgrade

    Now for the fun! Have students pair up (or even get into small groups if you have more time) to read their paragraphs to each other. Once their partner has drawn the monster based on the descriptive paragraph, the student can reveal their real monster picture to see how well they match up!

    Take It Further

    As you can probably already imagine, this activity lends itself well to the revision process. Once both partners have read their paragraphs and drawn each other’s monsters, encourage them to have a discussion about what is different about the two monsters, just as you did with your own example. What details were missing that could have made the pictures more identical? Students could revise their writing to add those details in to make their paragraph even more descriptive!

    Your students will really love the challenge of trying to get their partner to draw a monster exactly like theirs. This was a lesson that my students talked about for weeks after- so much so that I ended up doing it again with a turkey theme!

    If you loved this lesson, you might be interested in getting the entire I Need My Monster Mentor Text Unit which also includes mentor sentences, practice with amazing adjectives and vivid verbs, quotations, drawing conclusions, vocabulary lessons and activities, as well as more writing prompts to be done from the point of view of the monsters in the book!

    PURCHASE HERE!

    Descriptive writing is a tricky skill for students to master, but with mentor text modeling and practice, they can! Check out this free lesson download for the mentor text, I Need My Monster to help with "show, don't tell" writing. #mentortext #2ndgrade #3rdgrade #4thgrade #5thgrade

    by Jessica Ivey 
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    Ideas By Jivey

    22 hours ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    😍 The latest seasonal club unit for upper grades is completed, and you'll definitely want to grab it before next week! Groundhog Weather School by Joan Holub is an informative mentor text about groundhogs, Groundhog Day, and weather, but it's presented in an entertaining way that will keep your students laughing while they learn. 😂✅ With this unit I created, you'll receive a week of explicit lesson plans to go along with the book. 🤓 You'll get everything you need to teach about organized notetaking, tier 3 vocabulary, word parts, and types of sentences, plus you'll be able integrate it all with science: weather, seasons, and groundhogs! Grab it at this link: www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Groundhog-Weather-School-Mentor-Text-Unit-Grades-3-5-Groundho... ... See MoreSee Less

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    Ideas By Jivey

    4 days ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    ❄️ There are so many fantastic books to use in January with a snowy winter theme. 📖 If you work with early emergent readers, this mentor sentence mini-unit is perfect for you! There are lessons for five snowy winter-themed books to help students grasp language through a balanced literacy approach. Check it out here: www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mentor-Sentences-Mini-Unit-Snowy-Winter-Books-for-Early-Emerg... ... See MoreSee Less

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    Ideas By Jivey

    5 days ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    Can students REALLY think critically about... GRAMMAR?! You bet they can! Come see how in this post! ... See MoreSee Less

    Higher Order Thinking Questions for Grammar and Writing

    www.ideasbyjivey.com

    Jivey shares ideas and lessons to make literacy accessible for all.
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    😍 The latest seasonal club unit for #uppergrade 😍 The latest seasonal club unit for #uppergrades is completed, and you'll definitely want to grab it before next week! 

Groundhog Weather School by Joan Holub is an informative #mentortext about groundhogs, Groundhog Day, and weather, but it's presented in an entertaining way that will keep your students laughing while they learn. 😂

✅ With this unit I created, you'll receive a week of explicit lesson plans to go along with the book. 

🤓 You'll get everything you need to teach about organized notetaking, tier 3 vocabulary, word parts, and types of sentences, plus you'll be able integrate it all with science: weather, seasons, and groundhogs! 

Grab it at the link in my profile: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Groundhog-Weather-School-Mentor-Text-Unit-Grades-3-5-Groundhog-Day-Seasons-9006611 #ideasbyjivey #mentorsentence #teacherspayteachers #teachersfollowteachers #groundhogdayintheclassroom #upperelementary #iteach345
    ❄️ There are so many fantastic #picturebooks t ❄️ There are so many fantastic #picturebooks to use in January with a snowy winter theme. 

📖 If you work with early emergent readers, this #mentorsentences mini-unit is perfect for you! 

There are lessons for five snowy winter-themed books to help students grasp language through a balanced literacy approach. 

Check it out at the link in my profile! #ideasbyjivey #iteachk #mentortexts #teacherspayteachers #teachersfollowteachers https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mentor-Sentences-Mini-Unit-Snowy-Winter-Books-for-Early-Emergent-Readers-2293853
    Can students actually think critically about... GR Can students actually think critically about... GRAMMAR?!? 🤔

You bet they can! 🥳

Check out how at the link in my profile! https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/higher-order-thinking-questions-for-grammar-and-writing/ 

#ideasbyjivey #mentorsentences #mentorsentence #iteachtoo #teachersfollowteachers #teachgrammar #iteach2nd #iteach3rd #iteach4th #iteach5th
    😍 A NEW FAVORITE! 🩰 Have you gotten your ha 😍 A NEW FAVORITE!

🩰 Have you gotten your hands on The Snow Dancer by Addie Boswell? What a BEAUTIFUL #picturebook, not only in the illustrations but also the words!

📘 This #mentortext is chock full of figurative language- don't miss grabbing this unit if you teach grades 3-5! 

You will have everything you need to use with the book including explicit lesson plans and teacher samples (it's ready to teach- no prep work!) to teach about figurative language like similes, onomatopoeia, personification, and hyperbole, as well as vivid verbs, visualization, and writing small moment stories. 

Check it out at the link in my profile! #ideasbyjivey #mentortextsforwriting #teacherspayteachers #iteach345 #iteach3rd #iteach4th #iteach5th #mentortextmonday

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Snow-Dancer-Mentor-Text-Unit-for-Grades-3-5-8787748
    I didn’t always use mentor sentences in my class I didn’t always use mentor sentences in my classroom... but once I started, there was no going back.

They are a total gamechanger! Come see why at the link in my profile: https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/taking-it-back-to-archives-mentor/

#ideasbyjivey #mentorsentences #iteach345 #teachersfollowteachers
    🐘 Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev is a p 🐘 Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev is a picture book about inclusion and true friendship. It's the perfect #picturebook to use in the primary grades!

I created a weeklong unit for this wonderful #mentortext to help you incorporate social/emotional learning to develop relationship skills all while identifying character challenges, writing explanatory text, analyzing a poem that pairs with the book, relating to literature, and understanding contractions.

😍 You'll get explicit lesson plans AND teacher samples- you'll have everything you need to teach all of ELA for a week!

Check it out at the link in my profile. #ideasbyjivey #teacherspayteachers #iteach12 #iteach1st #iteach2nd #mentortexts 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Strictly-No-Elephants-Mentor-Text-Unit-for-Grades-1-2-8501981
    🍯 Did you know January 18 is Winnie The Pooh Da 🍯 Did you know January 18 is Winnie The Pooh Day? It's AA Milne's birthday! 

Grab this weeklong unit for grades 3-5 to use with the #picturebook, Finding Winnie by Lindsay Mattick: the true story of how the beloved bear became famous! 🐻

✏️ With the unit I created, you'll really dive into helping students read like writers and write like readers by discovering the purpose for dialogue. You'll get a week of explicit lesson plans that teach the purpose of dialogue, types of nonfiction, forming fact-based opinions, and quotation mark usage using the book, Finding Winnie.

Get the weeklong unit at the link in my profile. #ideasbyjivey #mentortextmonday #mentorsentences #iteach345 #iteachwriting #iteach3rd #iteach4th #iteach5th #teacherspayteachers #winniethepoohday #mentortexts

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Finding-Winnie-Mentor-Text-Unit-for-Grades-3-5-7576748
    🍯 Did you know January 18 is Winnie The Pooh Da 🍯 Did you know January 18 is Winnie The Pooh Day? It’s AA Milne’s birthday! 

Grab this weeklong unit for grades 3-5 to use with the #picturebook, Finding Winnie by Lindsay Mattick: the true story of how the beloved bear became famous! 🐻

Link in profile, or DM me! https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/product/finding-winnie-mentor-text-unit-for-grades-3-5/ #ideasbyjivey #teachersfollowteachers #teachersofinstagram #teachersofig
    🎊 Chinese New Year falls on January 22 this yea 🎊 Chinese New Year falls on January 22 this year! Do you have a #mentortext ready for it? 

🧧 Ruby's Wish is a wonderful #picturebook to share for the celebration! It's a story based on the author's ambitious grandmother who desired an education more than anything else. 

You can grab the weeklong unit to review/teach proper nouns, contextual vocabulary, citing evidence to support answers, character traits, and comparing to another mentor text, plus a themed writing prompt.

Get it at the link in my profile. #ideasbyjivey #mentorsentence #iteach345 #mentortexts #iteach3rd #iteach4th #iteach5th #lunarnewyearintheclassroom #chinesenewyearintheclassroom 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Rubys-Wish-Mentor-Text-Digital-Print-Unit-8110655
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